10 Attachment 2 - Desk Item Public Comment
ATTACHMENT 2
From: Patty Charles
Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2020 10:18 AM
To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Blossom hill pedestrian bridge
Hi my name is Patty Charles. I am a parent of 3 teenagers in Los Gatos and I teach cycling
lessons as a licensed cycling instructor. I want to express by deep SUPPORT of the pedestrian
bridge on blossom hill. When I am cycling with children or watching the students cycling into
fisher. The bridge is always an issue. The town has these fantastic bike lanes on blossom hill
But the bridge is always the tricky part and in the morning commute it is dangerous. The
sidewalk on the bridge is narrow and the drop off from the sidewalk is high. It is not really safe
to ride on it with pedestrians on it as well and there is no space for bikes and cars in the lane.
Highway 9 and Lark are unsafe For kids due to the 17 ramps on & off. So blossom hill is the bike
crossing of choice. Plus it is so close to the middle school. It would be fantastic if we could make
this happen and get even more students cycling to school.
Let’s do this Los Gatos! Option B would be to make the bridge wider with protected bike lanes.
Sent from my iPhone
From: Edward Morimoto On Behalf Of Edward Morimoto
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2020 10:11 PM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>; Marcia Jensen
<MJensen@losgatosca.gov>; BSpector <BSpector@losgatosca.gov>; Rob Rennie
<RRennie@losgatosca.gov>; Marico Sayoc <MSayoc@losgatosca.gov>
Cc: Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov>; Ying Smith <YSmith@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Please approve staff recommendation for BHR crossing project -- Public Comment Item
#10
Dear Mayor Jensen & Members of the Los Gatos Town Council,
I am writing to encourage you to adopt the Highway 17 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing
Recommendations from Staff (9/1/20, Agenda Item #10). The benefits of making our Town
bicycle & pedestrian friendly seem abundantly clear — quieter streets, cleaner air, reduced
fossil fuel consumption, and increased physical fitness to name a just few — and providing safe
passage across Highway 17 that bisects our Town is an important, if not the most important,
challenge we must address to truly become such a place.
As a frequent and relatively experienced cyclist, I find none of the Town’s four roadways
crossing 17 truly safe and I would not consider BHR the safest amongst that motley
roster. Improvement of the Blossom Hill crossing, given both its central location and proximity
to/use by RJ Fisher (with three of the Town’s elementary schools not much farther away) is
simply an imperative and failing to take advantage of any opportunity to do so is tantamount to
negligence.
ATTACHMENT 2
Having attended community meetings on the crossing, I believe the process to date has been
thoughtful and comprehensive. It is a complicated problem with every possible solution having
both pros & cons. There are a dizzying number of constraints, some obvious but many
nuanced, and certainly no “silver bullet.”
However, I can appreciate the concerns of nearby neighborhoods who may have not engaged in
the planning until late and can empathize with the feeling that the current state of project
lacked adequate inclusion or rigor, whether or not that may be true. But I would suggest those
concerned take solace that today’s ask is to simply allow staff to take advantage of funding
opportunities available now to further refine our plans, undertake critical study and continue to
engage the community — just the "next step" in the long journey to addressing this critical gap
in the Town’s transportation infrastructure. True to form, I am sure the Town will provide
ample opportunity for all to give their input over the months and years it will take this project
to be refined & coalesce into a reality.
So, I implore you to allow us to take this next step in becoming a truly bike- & pedestrian-
friendly community and resist the urge to succumb to pressure to shut down the exploration of
solutions based on premature fears of what those salutations may/may not entail.
When I was an RJ Fisher student 38 years ago, my parents did not allow me to ride to school
from our Bachman Park neighborhood home due to safety concerns. The situation is no better
now. I sincerely hope we understand it will take action today to ensure I will not have to
impose a similar prohibition on my son when he enters Fisher a decade down the road.
As always, thank you for your service to our Town and for the opportunity to share my input.
Regards,
Edward Morimoto
Cc:
Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
Ying Smith, Transportation & Mobility Manager
ATTACHMENT 2
From: Sheldon Gilbert
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2020 7:56 PM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Public Comment Item #10 - Highway 17 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing
Recommendations (Project 818-0803):
I am a resident of Los Gatos and a past chair of the LG BPAC.
I urge the council to approve Item #10 on their agenda, Highway 17 Bicycle and Pedestrian
Overcrossing Recommendations.
Alternative modes of transportation are increasingly popular in LG and important ways to
combat traffic congestion and climate change. The 17 splits LG in half and the Blossom Hill
Road bridge, which is a critical connector, simply isn’t wide enough to safely accommodate all
of the bike, scooter and pedestrian traffic it supports, especially before and after school
sessions. The existing bike paths on this bridge are too narrow and dangerously close to high
speed traffic. A pedestrian bridge will increase access to the LG Creek trail, Vasona Park, Oak
Meadow Park and all of the businesses down town. It will also encourage more kids from the
West side of LG to bike/scooter/walk to school which will reduce automobile traffic in town
during the most congested times.
I strongly encourage the council to approve the actions included in this agenda item.
Thank You,
Sheldon Gilbert
From: Cathleen Bannon
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2020 5:54 PM
To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Blossom Hill Ped/bike bridge
Hi- writing in support of the proposed Ped/bike bridge on BH road.
This project is instrumental to providing safety, especially to the hundreds of students
attending Fisher who crossed BH road twice daily. We also need to think of all the citizens who
use BH road by foot or bike to get to Oak Meadow park.
Traffic will also run smoother without the bikes/pets on the road.
Thank you for considering the Ped/bike bridge.
Cathleen & Grant Bannon